Four of Five
by Trostie
Summary: The four times Natsu said 'I love you' first, and the one time he didn't have to. Gray/Natsu /Gratsu /Slash with Natsu/Lucy friendship.


**A/N:** Guys, I did a thing. An unbeta'd thing.

 **Disclaimer:** I assure you that this is an original, crappy piece of mine. If it has been done before (which I'm pretty sure it has because the idea of reading a fic like this feels vaguely familiar to me), I did not attempt to steal from anyone. If you feel I have done so, please let me know and I will take this down. With that said, **Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!**

 **Four of Five.**

 **The four times Natsu said 'I love you' first, and the one time he didn't have to.**

 **1.**

The first time he said it, half the guild was destroyed.

Not to say that Natsu sharing his love was the reason for the destruction of the guild, after all, Natsu _being Natsu_ already does that on its own. It was actually during the guild's fight with Phantom Lord, and the Dragon Slayer just had terrible timing.

"Gray!"

Narrowly dodging an attack that might've just cut his arm off if he had reacted any later than he did, Gray chanced a glance at the only idiot who would think now was a good time for a chat.

"Kinda busy here, flamebrain!"

Gray heard his harsh footsteps before he saw him and could only smirk as his current opponent was suddenly flown five feet through the air.

"Don't go jumping into other people's fights, dumbass." Gray sighed but couldn't hide his grin when Natsu grinned right back at him.

"Shut up, I needed to get your attention one way or another."

Gray raised a brow but before he could ask why, the guy who Natsu had previously sent flying recovered and came charging back at Gray. He dodged the first few attacks sent his way with ease, but created an ice shield to block off the rest.

"Well, what do you want?" Gray yelled over his shoulder before he began going on the offense.

"Hey! Less yapping and more paying attention to what's in front of you!" Gray's opponent shouted before he was comically punched in the face.

"Just needed to deliver a message." Natsu smiled with a shake of the head. Gray stretched his arm in circles as he waited for the guy he was fighting to get the hell up.

"Get on with it already!"

"I love you."

Ironically, Gray lost his cool and sputtered indignantly. "A-Ashole! Is this really the time?!"

With a battle cry, Gray's opponent came running at him and once again, Gray barely had any time to dodge because he was distracted.

"Probably not, but I thought I'd let you know!" Natsu waved with a grin, deciding to head towards the next fight before Gray iced his ass.

 **2.**

Funnily enough, Natsu wasn't even aware of it when he said it a second time.

He was on his way back from a solo mission, so sleep deprived and thoroughly exhausted, he didn't even know where he was going.

So it's not really a surprise that he had managed to wander into Gray's house instead of his own, despite the fact that they lived on opposite sides of town. After all, at this point, Natsu couldn't really tell the difference. Both boys had a terrible habit of leaving their doors unlocked.

He slowly opened the door, barely remembering to close it behind him, much less lock it (sound familiar?). After fumbling to get his shoes off, he looked around vaguely trying to remember when he had gotten a porch. However, after a few moments, he chose to ignore it in favour of going straight to bed.

Again, as he moves further into the house, he absently wonders why it feels bigger than before, but once he comes across his room – _a room_ – he thinks nothing of the figure lying in his bed – _someone's bed_ – and just kind of flops on it whilst also not paying attention the fact that he owns a hammock. Hey, when did he get a bed?

"Nghhhg… huh?"

Gray blinked his eyes open warily as he felt a weight shift on his bed. He lifted himself up slightly and glanced at the clock resting on his bedside table. _03:44a.m._ shone too brightly in his too sensitive eyes.

When he felt movement again, his instincts kicked in and he automatically became more alert. He mindfully turned his head to the left side of his bed; the side he was so sure no one was occupying before he went to sleep earlier… and was surprised to find a mop of pink hair splayed out on one of his pillows, body curled up and breathing lightly.

"…Natsu?"

He heard a faint grunt but other than that, the Dragon Slayer continued sleeping peacefully beside him. A little drool spilled from his open mouth.

"This guy…" Gray sighed but his gaze softened when Natsu curled in closer to Gray's cool body and snuggled up against his arm.

"Mhm… Gray…" Natsu breathed out in his dazed sleep. "…love you."

Gray's body stiffened in surprise but relaxed when he saw the sleepy peacefulness adorning Natsu's face after subconsciously speaking those words.

Natsu shivered slightly and Gray smiled softly. He settled back down and allowed himself to be snuggled in further before pulling the covers of his bed over them.

"…Yeah, I know."

 **3.**

The third time was a little more random.

It was a late morning in the guild and surprisingly, no brawls had broken out (yet).

Lucy was sitting at the bar sipping on a strawberry milkshake whilst chatting animatedly to Mira about the girl's latest gossip. The barmaid was cleaning the counter while listening to the blonde intensely.

"And, like, ever since they've gotten together, the guild couldn't get any more peaceful!"

Mira laughed lightly and nodded. "Well, it is to be expected. They are two of the biggest troublemakers here."

Lucy nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah, and –"

"Lussshhy!" Happy suddenly bellowed as he flew over to rest on the blonde's head. Lucy muttered a few choice words about why Happy couldn't just use a chair instead of messing up her hair and Mira giggled. "What are you guys talking about?"

"How dramatically Gray and Natsu's relationship has changed the guild's atmosphere." Mira smiled as she pulled out a package from under the counter and handed it to Happy.

Happy's eyes lit up as he opened it quickly and found a fish. He gave his thanks to Mira and nibbled on it greedily. "How?" He enquired after a few bites. "It feels the same to me."

"You know," Lucy answered. "how they don't fight anymore and how that reduces the amount of fights in the guild."

Happy looked at Lucy in mock confusion. "What are you saying, Lushy? They fight all the time."

As if on cue, the guild doors burst open and in walked the girl's hottest topic as of late. Surprisingly, to Lucy especially, the sounds of arguing could be well heard from across the room.

"You're totally not listening, prick!"

"And I'm telling you, I heard you _already_!"

The trio at the bar watched in silence as Gray stormed in with Natsu following closely behind.

Gray ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His face was coated red from what the guild could only assume was anger, but both he and Natsu knew better.

"You _heard_ but you didn't _understand_!" Natsu hissed exasperatedly.

"What's there more to understand?!"

Mira, the only one who really knows what to do in situations like these, expertly intervened before a physical fight could break out. Lucy sipped on her milkshake again in anticipation.

"Gray, Natsu." Mira is still smiling but suddenly there's an icy chill – not because of Gray for once – that makes it feel like the temperature in the room as dropped rapidly. "May I ask what this is about?'

Gray actually thanks his lucky Mavis that it's not Erza who intervened (she's away on a mission) because then he'd be forced to answer. But even though it's Mira in front of him, he doesn't feel like he has much of a choice either.

Fortunately (read: _unfortunately_ ) he didn't have to, as to his utter horror and complete embarrassment, Natsu spits out, "Gray's too stupid to understand how madly I am in love with him."

Mira raises her eyebrows, the other members of the guild are in snickers and Lucy almost chokes on her milkshake. And Happy… he smiles knowingly while obliviously eating his fish.

There are a few wolf whistles before Gray immediately clamps a hand over the Dragon Slayer's mouth, mumbling something akin to 'idiot' under his breath and pushes a startled Natsu out of the guild.

"Well, gotta go!"

And as the guild doors slam shut after them and the snickers have finally died down, Happy flops down on the bar counter with a cat-like grin.

"Told you they still fight."

Both Lucy and Mira stare at him at a loss for words.

 **4.**

The fourth time, Gray's life is in danger.

Natsu has great difficulty coming to terms with the fact that Gray is in a coma because of him.

Not that anyone has actually explicitly blamed him, but Natsu felt it. He felt it when Erza came limping through the guild doors, all blood and scarred but still managing to support herself and an unconscious Gray with an arm around his waist and the other over his shoulder.

He felt it when Gray was set down gently on an infirmary bed in the guild's medical wing, barely breathing, _barely hanging on_.

He felt it when all the members of Fairy Tail crowded outside the room with looks of despair, concern and fright. Fright for their beloved comrade's life.

Erza, while being bandaged and attended to by Wendy on the bed beside Gray's, told them of how she and Gray were attacked on their back from the job they had taken. Some dark guild or another had ambushed them and managed to place a temporary paralysis spell on Erza, preventing her from fighting off whatever they threw at her. Gray, being one of her closest friends, her comrade, fellow guild member and, well, Gray, did his best to fight on behalf of them both while defending her, but it wasn't enough.

She could only watch in horror as Gray was beaten over and over, though still refusing to back down because _no_ , he would _not_ lose anyone else important to him, especially to such a _low life_ guild neither of them even knew the name of.

Natsu didn't stick around for the details after that, only learning of their means of escape – the paralysis spell which the castors thought would last a while wore off quicker on Erza because of her immense magical power, and that allowed her to save both herself and Gray before either could be dealt with a death blow – from Lucy when she came outside the infirmary to place a comforting hand on Natsu's shoulder.

"Why didn't I go with them, Lucy?"

To Lucy, Natsu's once cheerful voice sounded wrong and broken. All she could see was pain and guilt – so, so much guilt – in those once fire filled eyes. Lucy understands how he feels. She knows because she was there the day Erza and Gray left on their job. She was there when Natsu said he'd rather go fishing than go on a job so far out, it would take being on three different trains to get there. It was supposed to be an easy job, but Natsu didn't seem to think being motion sick for that long was worth it. Therefore, he kissed Gray on the cheek and wished him off with a promise of spending time together when he got back.

Who knew it would end up like this? Certainly not any of them. Yes, she understood Natsu but she also understood what he could not. That's why all Lucy could do as his best friend was hold on to him as tight as she could and whisper solemnly in his ear.

"It's not your fault."

 _But it is_ his mind whispers over and over when he's the only other person In Gray's room. Everyone else, including Lucy who had been incredibly reluctant to leave Natsu by himself, had left already and no one was there to hear his silent cries beside Gray's bed.

He feels helpless – _incredibly helpless_ – and he can't stop the concern and guilt from distorting his face.

He looks at Gray's face and hesitantly cups his cheek. Natsu, _the_ fire breathing Dragon Slayer, almost flinches at the coldness of Gray's skin. He may be an ice wielder but he is _not_ supposed to be that cold.

A new wave of guilt washes over Natsu as he softly rubs his thumb in circles over the deathly cold skin, watching the other breathe in and out through his nose.

"I'm sorry, Gray. I love you. I'm sorry." Natsu stammers out, sobbing quietly. "God-fucking-dammit!"

He's too far gone to notice the slight twitch of lips.

 **5.**

It is a warm day in Magnolia and the skies are clear - a true gift from Mavis above because there has been a cold front blowing through town recently with the approach of Fall nearby, and Natsu wants to savour the days where he can still feel his fingers. Fire Dragon Slayer or not, the cold doesn't sit particularly well with him.

And it's on this day, with a warm breeze flowing in from the open window in the living room, Natsu is spread out on the floor in Gray's house while said owner is lying on the couch reading a book. There have been fewer jobs that needed the whole team lately, so while Erza, Lucy and Wendy went out on a job, Natsu and Gray decided to lounge it out at home.

Natsu is quiet for once, thoughtlessly staring out the window.

"Gray?"

Without turning his attention away from the current page he's reading, Gray hums.

"I love you, too."

Natsu, totally not expecting such a response, nearly hits his head against the coffee table when he shoots up in surprise.

"What?"

Gray glances over at him in amusement before returning his gaze to his book. "I said that I love you too."

Natsu blinks. "…How did you know I was going to say that?"

Gray smiles mystically as he finally closes his book, moves himself off the couch and over to where Natsu is sitting on the floor, before reaching down and giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Just a feeling."

 **Fin.**

 **Update (01/12/15)** : Okay, so I tried editing a little. After rereading this out of sheer boredom, I realized (in scene 3, near the end) that Happy was supposed to **obliviously** eat his **fish** , and not ' _obviously eat his face_ '. I lol'ed more than I should've. Sorry about those careless mistakes.


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